Fyrians
The Fyrians (Fyrias cunabula arcanum) are an extinct race of intelligent extraterrestrials that was believed to be in possession of an extremely high technological level. It was believed that they are an extremely ancient race, easily millions of years old. Very little is known about them by any race. It is believed that they were known to the Forerunners prior to the firing of the Halo Array in 100,000 BCE. However, it was believed that the Fyrians went extinct before the Flood War. The reason for this is lost to time. The currently reigning theory of their disappearance is that a plague decimated their population to the point where they could no longer support themselves. Over millions of years, evidence of Fyrian culture slowly drifted into obscurity, destroyed and hidden through natural phenomena on many planets. A few relics of their past remain, but it is believed they were once a magnificent race. Appearance No evidence of what a Fyrian looked like has been discovered by any modern xenoanthropologist. There have been examples of ceramics on some worlds that have been speculated to have been connected to the race. A few spaceships remain, which gives the best idea of what the Fyrians may have looked like. Fyrian technology utilized flashing lights and displays which suggest that they possessed eyes which were sensitive to the visible spectrum of light, though there seems to be little evidence of vocal technology which suggests that either the Fyrians did not believe in such technology, or were physically incapable of speaking, which may mean that they may have communicated through pheromones, bioluminescense, sign language, or perhaps even telepathy. Levers and tools that required physical manipulation implies that they had hands and digits to manipulate objects, though how many arms, hands, and fingers is not known. Given the size of corridors in Fyrian ruins, scientists have speculated that the Fyrians may have stood at most three meters or lower. They have have had legs given that grips in the floors of vessels seem designed for foot use. Having multiple limbs may benefit the Fyrians in a zero gravity situation. It is possible that the Fyrians may have had either eight finges on each hand, or four fingers on each hand, as xenoanthropologists have determined that the Fyrians used a base-eight number system that appears similar to an atomic structure. In terms of the actual makeup of the body and the location of appendages, there is no evidence to give researchers an idea of what the Fyrians may have looked like. Artists though have created many such interpretations as an attempt to convey them to the public. Design aesthetic seems utilitarian with the desire to ensure that devices functioned for their intended purpose. Aircraft were equipped with canards on their noses, wings folded out of the body when in atmosphere for better control. They did not seem to have very extravagent artistic designs, preferring function over flair. Repurposed Technology Given what is known about the Fyrians from what they left behind, it was known that they were a strong interstellar society, though as history states, the Forerunners were the dominant interstellar empire followed closely by an ancient Human empire. The exact power, stretch, and influence of the Fyrians may never really be known. As stated in the last section, pieces of Fyrian technology survive to this day, and indeed are still functional. This speaks an incredible amount about the resiliance of their technology, especially those that are still within the void of space, and after millions of years of drift. On planets where extreme environments cover the planet, this is even more extraordinary. There have been culrures that may have harnessed Fyrian technology. They may be only non-spaceflight capable, or undiscovered races. There is one race though that has managed to go from a pre-spaceflight level to one capable repurposing Fyrian technology for their own means: the Shi'Kri'Lash. Scientists belive that it is extremely difficult for pre-spacefilght races to even comprehend such technology let alone work it. Fyrian technology regarding starships operate through neural interface. A user 'jacks in' to operate a vessel by reclining in a command chair. The jack inserts itself into the brain stem, allowing a user to directly control functions of the ship with their minds. It is believed that the Shi'Kri'Lash found an abandoned Fyrian transport that lay buried beneath the sand on their homeworld. The sand kept the vessel preserved for millions of years until it was finally uncovered. The Shi'Kri'Lash discovered the ship's functions by accident and were frightened when it lifted up into the air and began flying. However, after a while, the race figured they could use the technology to their advantage. Naturally with the Shi'Kri'Lash, the first application that they used the Fyrian vessels for was war. For a while, the clan that possessed this first starship was dominant to all others, at least until more ships were found by other clans. What baffled scientists was that this technology was being used for nothing but warfare, with complete disregard for all other areas of life, which at the same time was disturbing, and fascinating. As of current date, not much variety of Fyrian technology has been discovered by archaeologists of most species in the Alliance; not enough to give researchers an accurate depiction of their daily life, government, or standard of living. Trivia *The Fyrians are one of the few discovered races to go extinct within recent galactic history, and one of the first known in the modern day to go extinct before the pinnacle of Forerunner civilization. List of Appearances *UNSC Galactic Codex: 3238 Edition (First Appearance, Mentioned Only) *Journal of Sally Acorn (Indirect Implication) Category:Alien Category:Species